2024-09-12
2 Corinthians 2:12 NKJV
A noted author states: “People who study entrepreneurs say they excel in something called ‘opportunity alertness.’ They look at the same circumstances as everyone else, but they ‘notice, without search, opportunities that have hitherto been overlooked.’ They are ‘alert, waiting, continually receptive to something that may turn up.'”
Paul was such a person. “I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord” (v. 12 NKJV). He practiced “divine opportunity alertness.” And you can too. For Paul, walking through the doors God opened often led to hardship. But they also led to great achievement.
Open doors don’t come with a meticulous set of instructions about precisely what you should do and exactly what will occur as a result. To discover what’s on the other side of the open door, you have to go through it. Will you experience fear? Any time you attempt the untried, unknown, and undone, you will experience fear. That’s when you need to remind yourself that whatever awaits you on the other side of that door, God will be there.
Here are two things you need to keep in mind: First, sometimes an open door doesn’t signify going to someplace new; it means recognizing a new and previously undetected opportunity in an old place. Second, open doors never exist solely for the advantage of the people offered them. They are an opportunity to bless others (See Genesis 12:1-3). An open door never exists for your benefit alone. Has God opened a door for you? If He has, don’t hesitate or vacillate; walk through it.
Soul food: Col 3-4; Philemon; Luke 21:1-11; Ps 78:9-16
2024-09-11
Philippians 4:8-9 KJV
One author writes: “Columbia researcher Sheena Iyengar has found that the average person makes about seventy conscious decisions every day. That’s 25,550 decisions a year. Over seventy years, that’s 1,788,500 decisions. Albert Camus said, ‘Life is a sum of all your choices.’ You put all those 1,788,500 choices together, that’s who you are. Victor Frankl was a brilliant doctor whom the Nazis imprisoned in a concentration camp. They took away his livelihood, confiscated his possessions, mocked his dignity, and killed his family. They locked him in a cell with no way out… But he found a door that his guards did not know about: ‘Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.’
He found that when his circumstances had closed every outer door to him, they revealed to him the doors that matter far more – the doors through which a soul can leave fear and enter into courage, leave hatred and enter into forgiveness, leave ignorance and enter into learning. He discovered that his guards were actually far more imprisoned – by cruelty and ignorance and foolish obedience to barbarism – than he was imprisoned by walls and barbed wire. Some people learn this and become free; some never see it and live their lives as prisoners.”
The difference is in the door you choose or the attitude you choose. That’s why Paul writes: “Whatsoever things are true… honest… just… pure… lovely… of good report… think on these things” (v. 8). Today, choose the right attitude!
Soul food: Col 1-2; Luke 20:41-47; Ps 78:1-8; Prov 23:19-21
2024-09-10
Psalm 1:1 NIV
When Moses commanded Pharaoh to set God’s people free, Pharaoh offered him three compromises. First, he offered to let them go if they didn’t go too far away. Second, he offered to let them go provided they left their children in Egypt. Third, he offered to let them go provided they left their business interests in Egypt. In each case, Moses said no. And Satan will make you those same offers.
Put distance between yourself and the world. Refuse to let it have your children. Refuse to live by the world’s self-centered and often unethical business practices. You are called to love and minister to those around you but not to become like them. One of the great gifts that God has given us is the gift of free will. You can choose! If you want to enjoy God’s blessings, you need to make lifestyle choices that line up with His will and are consistent with the values of His Word, not choices reflecting the constantly eroding values of the world systems around you. The way to succeed in life is to stand on Bible principles.
Here are two Scriptures you need to meditate on and keep in mind: “The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow” (Proverbs 10:22 NKJV). “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33 KJV). Today pray, “Lord, I don’t want to live by the world’s standards. I put you first in my life because I know your ways are always best.”
Soul food: Josh 22-24; Luke 20:27-40; Ps 27; Prov 23:16-18
2024-09-09
Philippians 4:13 AMPC
One of the quickest ways to get discouraged is to try living the Christian life in your own strength. It’s like trying to lift yourself up by your own bootstraps; it cannot be done. Indeed, God designed it that way. Jesus said: “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever – the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:15-17 NKJV).
God’s commandments are never too difficult for us to follow – if we do them through Christ’s indwelling strength. And you must learn to draw on that strength daily. He is in you and with you at all times to enable you to do what you cannot do and to do with ease what you would otherwise find hard to do without Him.
Paul talked about the constant struggle between his flesh and his spirit. At times it drove him to despair. Then he gives us the key to victorious Christian living: “I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency]” (Philippians 4:13 AMPC). Learn from the light bulb; it cannot illuminate itself. But when it’s connected to an electrical power source, all that’s required is to flip a switch. So, do it in Christ’s strength, not your own.
Soul food: Josh 19:24-21:45; Luke 20:20-26; Ps 112; Prov 23:13-15
2024-09-08
Isaiah 30:18 NKJV
Your concept of God determines your confidence in approaching Him. Do you always view Him like an auditor, and your books don’t balance? Or do you view Him like a father who loves you at all times and wants to be good to you? When approaching God, many of us consult a mental scorecard to see whether we have more wins than losses, rights than wrongs, credits than demerits. If we feel like we’re not performing well, we avoid God or make Him our last resort. That’s a mistake because God sees you “in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17), and therefore, you are always accepted and welcomed into His presence.
You say, “Does that mean I can live any way I please?” No, “the Lord disciplines the one he loves” (Hebrews 12:6 NIV). But His correction is not rejection; it’s proof that you are truly His redeemed child. Here is a Scripture you need to meditate on: “Therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favour, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!” (Isaiah 30:18 AMPC).
Note God’s attitude toward you today: “The Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you.” Keep that picture in mind, and begin to expect good things from God.
Soul food: John 14:6-11; Acts 4:8-12; Acts 16:22-34; Matt 1:18-21
2024-09-07
Matthew 6:6 NIV
When it comes to the importance of having a consistent prayer life, Jesus is our greatest example. Before He calmed the storm on Galilee, called His twelve disciples, or fed the multitudes with five loaves and two fish, He spent time alone in prayer. And you have been called to follow in His footsteps (See 1 Peter 2:21). In essence, our failures are often the result of our failure to pray. Jesus gave His disciples two prayer principles that will work for you.
First, He said, “When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father” (Matthew 6:6 NIV). In other words, find a quiet place where you won’t be distracted. After all, you are meeting with God. As you spend time there, you will grow to love this place, and it will become your “secret place” (Psalm 91:1 KJV).
Second, Jesus said, “When you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:7-8 NIV). The words “don’t babble” may sound harsh. But what Jesus is saying to us is, “Focus; be with Me. Open your heart. Get real. Stand on My Word and believe Me for answers.” After the church prayed all night for Peter to be delivered from prison, the Bible says “they were astonished” when God did it (Acts 12:16 KJV). You say, “That’s bad.” Actually, that’s good! It means even though your faith may be weak, when you pray, God will answer you. So, keep praying and standing on His Word.
Soul food: Josh 16:1-19:23; Luke 20:9-19; Ps 20; Prov 23:10-12
